Daniel W J Mackenzie – Teeth Sleep Under Winking Black Eyelid

Daniel W J Mackenzie eschews the filmic freedom and concentrated consistency that is usually associated with the output of his alter ego, Ekca Liena, in order to create an extraordinary proposal that is titled Teeth Sleep Under Winking Black Eyelid…

This recording intends to challenge the listener with its use of contrived footage from two pianos that are abstractly arranged, performed and engineered to create intriguing instances of instrumentational incomprehension.  Recognisable resonances are juxtaposed with primed piano proclamations and other mutated musical methodologies. This enigmatic investigation reveals an avant-garde gamut of prevailing acoustic possibilities that are produced when pianos are physically manipulated with tangible entities, hardware effects and post-production processing.

Undercroft Prelude is a superficial piano motif that acts as the ‘control’ element in these perplexing piano experiments. Recorded at his home and at Brighton’s Under The Bridge Studios, Mackenzie creates genius loci; an auditory architectural anchor for the listener, this ‘safe’ point of reference may be required for reassurance later on as this eccentric excursion into hammered string strangeness progresses.

Disorientation Suite has a five second intro of ‘motorik’ fuzz that precedes a minimal and determined piano refrain that scale surfs to create aural anxiety. A swollen forewarning proliferates before we are exposed to antecedent elements of the rhythmic regressions, chaotic clamour and theoretical timbres that are ultimately discharged by the nucleus of this unorthodox opus.

Our Sentiments Alignment is circles of reflective piano, nostalgic note echoes, sheets of shiftable sustain and hauntingly stressed silences. Heavily distorted string manipulations and frictional processing techniques guide this taut emotive exercise.  Miniature For Said Sentiments is a 30 second piano outro that complements its predecessor.

Hrisen has a transfigured riff of diffused snare brush percussion at its heart. Mutated wind and percussion illustrations, chronometric piano clang and, bass bursts mix and match, as poignant piano droplets blow by only to instantly distort and decay as an expressive ether condenses. Addendum flatters Hrisen with a fragmentary self-recollection warp that palpably persists.

Teeth Sleep I, Teeth Sleep ii, and Teeth Sleep iii combine to form a connected triptych. An irregular effects ensemble is coupled with piano chord cycles, illusionary string exploitations and misleading malfunctions to create a semiotic vision of fanged somnolance. Pulsed alienating ambiance, pervasive percussion, low frequency fluctuations and agonised strings ultimately give way to an obtuse yet convalescent composure with a dronish undertow.

In Chinese mythology the crane is a bird of immortality and is strongly identified with the attributes of long life, happiness and a smoothness of flight. Crane Temple certainly has an oriental sound and that sense of tranquillity that is associated with traditional Eastern beliefs.

A piano free Vamp while not necessarily beautiful has a certain allure with its arousing pulsed heartbeat that blatantly sets out to appeal like a heartless, man-eating seductress.

Confound indicates the beginning of the piano’s reappearance. It sounds mysterious and puzzling, as though there has been a mix up or confusion between the forces of good and bad, perhaps a defeat or even damnation is suggested.

Bathysphere Interlude is a brief deep-sea observation where the piano loses a battle with an all engulfing tidal wave of bass.

Into is a cover of ‘Into The Wind’, a song by Mackenzie’s other persona Ekca Liena. It’s a song of contemplation that employs melancholic piano to mimic the fragility of human existence.

Take Any Form But Don’t Leave Me is a literary reference from Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, and like the book the song speaks of betrayal, hate, death and love. It’s the final song and it alludes to the nature of a paroxysmal attack, a short psychotic episode that often precedes a descent into the abyss.

Teeth Sleep Under Winking Black Eyelid is an original exploratory piano philosophy of intense intimacy and lugubrious humility.

- Dean Rocker for Fluid Radio

Recorded at his home in Brighton and at Under The Bridge Studios.
All music production, photography and design by Daniel W J Mackenzie.
Mastered by Jannick Schou.

Initially available only as a self-release by emailing Daniel here